Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Heavenly Day

A film dance is a unique cinematic and choreographic experience that combines the visual language of both film and dance. This collaborative approach allows both filmmakers and choreographers to challenge and experiment with movement in a visceral and conceptual way. Combining my major in Dance and minor capstone in Film Production, I have decided to create a film dance that explores the idea of how grief can alter your reality or your perception of what is real. Everybody has experienced some sort of grief and loss and I wanted to focus my research on mental health and the effects that grief can have on a person. This work is a love story, but with a tragic ending. My research method is taking experiences from myself, my family, my friends, and my cast that have all dealt with grief and transform those stories into movement. In addition, I was heavily inspired by couples dancing at weddings and how intimate and personal their connections appeared to me. In my research I have learned that often where there is love, there is also a possibility of loss. My cast and I have discussed that our purpose in this work is to express these emotions of losing a loved one and communicate them through the artform of dance. This will allow those feelings to move through their bodies, and onto the screen. My ultimate goal is to take the audience back to a time when they lost someone they loved.